I saw this posted to another List that I belong to and thought it very interesting. Sue Gardner Shreve << THE LAND ACQUISITION PROCESS, excerpted from Chapter 9 of "Land and Property Research in the United States," by E. Wade Hone <<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>> ======================================================= Millions of individuals who lived during the busiest phases of the public domain era, 1790 to 1930, went through at least portions of the processes listed in this chapter. Strict regulations generated more information about the claimants of federal land than those of state land. Each stage of the federal patent process created a new record source about the claimant, even if only to place him in a particular place at a specific time. As with any genealogical resource, the records vary greatly in content. While some files contain exact birthplaces and birth dates, others may contain only a name, location of land, and purchase price. The possible clues contained in federal land records are often limited only by the creativity of the researcher. Various circumstances, such as a person having been of foreign birth, may have created additional record sources. Some land acts may indicate simultaneous or subsequent involvement in other land records. Understanding the records and their laws will ensure more productive research. Land records can be difficult to understand and access. Land-entry case files, which house the history of the patent process for most federal land transactions, have received very little publicity. Information on the patent itself, the most commonly requested record, can be discouraging for those who realize it contains only the information originally required to order the document. Anyone finding an ancestor who received land through a government source needs to seriously consider the vast amounts of history and biography that could be waiting among the records created and deposited in the land-entry case files. LAND ACQUISITION PROCESS Though requirements differed from act to act, there were certain basic elements involved in almost every public land transaction. When a desired tract or parcel of land was located in the public domain, an individual first needed to make an APPLICATION, or entry, for that particular segment of land. This step could have been accomplished through several different methods, depending on the area and time period involved. Sometimes payment itself was considered adequate for successful application. Auctions were usually held when an area first opened for public sale. The land would be sold to the highest bidder, though at a minimum price of two dollars per acre. Later that minimum was reduced to $1.25 per acre. Soon afterward, land offices opened for business to a waiting crowd of anxious settlers who applied on a "first come, first served" basis for each segment of land. One of the most helpful requirements for eligibility in many federal land purchases was the need for the applicant to have been a native-born citizen, or have at least "declared an intention to become a citizen of the United States." This applied to most federal land purchases, except for military bounty-land warrants, where service was the primary criterion, and some preemption and private land claims. Though this requirement could not be monitored with the efficiency originally intended, conformity increased as time went by. Once the application was completed, cash was paid, or appropriate arrangements made for credit, and a RECEIPT was issued. This receipt may be all that is found in many of the earliest case files. Next, a WARRANT FOR SURVEY was issued for the specified land entry. This was to insure that organization and uniformity existed, and to eliminate overlap and controversy between neighbors and/or government. Though not always successful, a visible boundary was defined for those involved. The warrant was given to, and usually carried out by, one of the few approved surveyors. Though monitoring their activity was not a priority, some areas, such as the Washington Land Office in the Mississippi Territory, actually enacted special bonds for the surveyors. These bonds required oaths of commitment and loyalty as well as financial penalties for nonconformance. Eventually, the need to quickly expedite a multitude of claims saw less and less regulation of surveyors. Upon completion, the SURVEY was recorded in township plat books. These books usually encompassed an entire township on each page. They also noted physical characteristics of the land, such as swamps, rivers, and lakes. Surveys also helped illustrate neighborhood ownership. The information was then filed in a TRACT BOOK by the registrar. This paperwork, together with all other records created by the applicable acts of Congress, was then transferred to the General Land Office. Testimonies, declarations of intent, affidavits, receipt copies, bounty-land warrants, and even proof of citizenship and naturalization can be found in these collections, called LAND-ENTRY CASE FILES. Specific birth dates, birthplaces, military ranks, and enlistment information can also be found, depending on the types of lands acquired. Genealogical information can be found in the case files that would never surface in the records kept on location. Case files also exist for those whose land claims were rejected, revoked, contested, or cancelled for some other reason. The information in those files is often more graphic in historical content than the files for those that were readily accepted. Even if there was no final certificate issued, there should still be a case file of each application for federal land. As these files were being transferred to the General Land Office, a FINAL CERTIFICATE for the patent was issued to the applicant. This certificate was proof of patent approval, and served as evidence that all of the previously required steps had been fulfilled. It was similar to a coupon, redeemable for the patent, which could only be given out by the General Land Office. These PATENTS were often sent to the local land office, where the patentees could more easily exchange their final certificates and take the precaution of registering the certificates with the local courthouse for legal reference and protection. Though many final certificates were never exchanged, a land-entry case file was still created. >>